Sunday, April 29, 2007

The family likes casseroles. Sure I can fix arugula pesto over salmon all I want but when it comes right down to it, they want hearty, meaty, cheesy, fattening meals from the oven.

Thank goodness for another Cooking Light concoction where a staple like the potpie is lightened and improved to save my family from themselves. Their arteries will thank me.

It calls for ground turkey and all the healthy fixings but I upped it a bit by substituting a half-cup of whole wheat flour in the cornbread topping. Also, I've always thought cornbread to be a bit dry so I also served it with a bit of enchilada sauce drizzled over the top, the whole effect reminding something of an open-faced sloppy joe on cornbread.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees, then prepare filling by sauteeing the onion, bell pepper, garlic and turkey for five minutes until it is lightly browned. Add chili powder, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt, tomatoes and beans. Cook three more minutes then spoon mixture into a lightly greased casserole dish.

Prepare topping by combining all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Combine the buttermilk and egg separately, then add to dry mixture. Stir until moist and combined then pour over the top of the meat filling. Bake at 425 degrees for 18 minutes or until topping is lightly browned. Serve with enchilada sauce drizzled over the top.

I've never quite got to grips with cornbread. Maybe if I just renamed it 'corncake'and refiled it in my brain somewhere it would work better? I think it's the sweet / cakey / flavour / texture that just confuses my taste buds.Cheers

great recipe! my family is always calling for exactly those dishes that expand my own waistband. it's not fair. I'll try it out and let you know if it passes the mustard! (aka if I can trick their cheesy fatty oily meter).

Hi! I've been a lurker off and on for about a month, and I just wanted to let you know that your tortellini and meatball soup is fabulous. We're a big soup-loving family, so I spent all winter perfecting my veggie beef soup, and I love trying new recipes. The first time I made your soup, I followed your instructions, but the second time (tonight), I used a beef broth base, rather than the tomato juice, and omitted the spinach (hubby had bad childhood spinach flashbacks over that one). Anyhow, I just wanted to let you know that it turned out great, just in case you were interested in brothing it sometime. Thanks for the great recipes, and I'll have to give your casserole a try.

I agree with you on the dry cornbread thing. Super easy recipe that's moist and yummy: one box yellow cake mix, two boxes corn muffin mix, prepare each according to package directions, mix together, bake at 350 for 20ish minutes. If you've ever been to Marie Callendar's, this is a copycat recipe of their cornbread.